


Hats and Hairclips and Hot Guys, oh my

by kopycat_101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - High School, Antisemitism, Awesome Alix Kubdel, Bisexual Disaster Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Bisexual Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Canon Jewish Character, Childhood Friends, Crushes, Female Jewish Character, First Meetings, Gay Marc Anciel, I am once again making Alix Jewish because I can, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Identity, LGBTQ Jewish Character(s), M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Nathaniel and Alix are Childhood Best Friends, Other characters are mentioned but don't speak/aren't important to the plot, POV Jewish Character, Pining, Pride, Punk, Trans Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28970115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: Nathaniel is celebrating Passover with his best friend Alix, wearing his skullcap with pride. There’s a bit of a snag when his hairclips holding his skullcap get damaged and lost. Thankfully, a kind stranger is willing to help give him some clips.
Relationships: Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Comments: 16
Kudos: 39





	Hats and Hairclips and Hot Guys, oh my

**Author's Note:**

> Passover isn’t until late March/April, but I thought of this fic idea and wanted to write it.   
> We need more fics about Nathaniel celebrating his faith and being very proud to be Jewish and queer. 
> 
> I also wanted to make my 100th fic on AO3 marcnath, because this ship is the entire reason I’m so active.

* * *

Nathaniel goes about his day, wearing the kippah his mother made for him. Alix is by his side, all but escorting him to his classes like a guard dog, like she does every year they outwardly observe the Jewish holidays.

Passover isn’t as big of a day as, say, Yom Kippur. So the duo still goes to school during Passover, just making sure they follow the diets or customs of head coverings.

Those that have been in his classes for years are used enough to him being Jewish—just a casual fact of life that they don’t seem to think much on—but it tends to get him a few stares when he actually walks around doing something “overly Jewish”, like wearing his skullcap during holidays.

He knows his friends and classmates don’t mean to be rude about it. Nathaniel is a rather introverted person in general. He dresses in bright colors and he has bright red hair, but he doesn’t really tend to try and draw attention to himself in any other way.

Wearing a kippah used to make him nervous and embarrassed by all the staring he got. As he’s grown and matured, he doesn’t feel as self-conscious about it. He feels pride instead, because yes, he’s Jewish. It isn’t just a fun fact about him, but a part of his identity.

As it stands, doing P.E. is always a grueling battle, but even worse during Jewish holidays. Not only does Nathaniel undergo fasting because of certain holidays, which makes him feel weaker than normal, wearing a kippah while playing sports is a bit of a hassle as well. Their P.E. teacher, D’Argencourt, is a stickler for those with long hair to have it tied up and that no one should be allowed to wear hats of any kind.

It’s always a _scene_ to convince the man that Nathaniel can participate with his skullcap still on, but not one he has to endure alone. Alix is always ready to defend him from assholes, more than willing to give up her cap-wearing privileges if it’ll protect Nathaniel’s. And once Nathaniel befriended Kim and Adrien, two of the star athletes that D’Argencourt loves to kiss the asses of, it made things much easier to have the man bend his rules.

So Nathaniel gets to play dodgeball and be bad at it with his friends and classmates without being forced to sit out or play without his religious headwear. He isn’t even a fan of dodgeball, but playing it while wearing a kippah gives it a nice flavor of ‘fuck you’ that he enjoys, even if he’s tired and sweaty and sore afterwards.

* * *

After P.E. is lunch. One of the more favorable schedule combinations one could get, because no one has to play on a full stomach, or be sweaty at the start of the day. They have an entire hour for lunch, so a few of them are able to actually get a decent shower in at the locker room or in their homes before going back to the second half of the school day. Hell, Marinette lives two blocks away above a bakery, so she and her girlfriend Alya don’t struggle at all to find time to fit everything in the hour.

Nathaniel does his usual deal of using baby wipes in the boy’s bathroom to freshen up—can’t exactly shower in the boy’s locker room since he’s trans—and then meets Alix outside the Gym for lunch. Alix genuinely doesn’t give a shit about showering after P.E., usually just washing her face and throwing on some extra Axe body spray to last her until she gets home.

“You’ve got your lunch?” Alix asks, a hand in her pocket while the other carries her lunchbox. Her cap with the Star of David is firmly back on her head, now that P.E. was done and D’Argencourt wasn’t around to bitch about it.

“Got it,” the redhead nods, raising his own lunch box. “Time to eat a shit-ton of salad.”

Alix snorts, ramming their shoulders together and drawling, “Ah, yes, rabbit food. My _favorite_.”

“Says the girl who wears bunny hoodies and races around like the Energizer rabbit, but okay,” Nathaniel playfully retorts.

“Damn, didn’t have to go for the throat there, Nath.”

“Revenge for you constantly roasting me,” he says, mock-seriously.

“You? Getting a spine? Good for you,” she snorts with a genuine grin, hip-checking him. “Let’s go sit down and stuff our faces with enough salad to feed ten Karens.”

“A true feast fit for Kings.”

The duo make their way to the cafeteria to sit alone so they won’t be tempted by their friends’ lunches. Kim waves at them enthusiastically from their usual table, alongside an equally enthusiastic Rose. Juleka gives a much more muted wave compared to her girlfriend, as does Max next to Kim. Nathaniel and Alix nod and wave back.

“I’m going to stuff my face with _so_ much bread and grain after Passover is done,” Alix says, cracking open a cold one with him, the two clinking their Mt. Dew cans together in solidarity.

“That’s always a mood,” the redhead grins back, sipping his soda.

It’s all well and good, spending lunch together…until Nathaniel feels his skullcap start to slide off his head. He quickly smacks a hand on top of the fabric, keeping it plastered to the back of his head before it falls to the floor.

“Woah, you good?” Alix asks, concerned.

“Fuck. It almost fell right off,” Nathaniel says, grabbing onto the material and bringing it up to his face to inspect. “Crap, looks one of the the hair clips broke, and the other one just…disappeared.”

“Probably from dodgeball, earlier,” the skater says sympathetically. “You almost got hit in the head a few times. Pressure of the throws might’ve jostled the clips.”

“Yeah,” Nathaniel sighs, turning it over in his hands.

“I can let you borrow my cap?” Alix offers.

“No! No, you don’t have to do that, Al. You’ve still gotta keep your head covered with something, too,” the redhead tells his best friend quickly, waving a hand in front of himself. “Don’t go out of your way because of me—”

“It’s less expected for a chick to keep her head covered, though,” she points out.

“Yeah, but this is an easy fix. I didn’t actually lose my kippah, I just need something to keep it in place again,” he points out, smiling back at his best friend. He feels warm fondness at Alix being so quick to help him. “Uh, which of the girls do you think carries extra hair clips or bobby pins? I’m gonna have to ask them.”

“Do you need a clip? I can give you some of mine,” a new voice says behind them, deep and soft and unfamiliar.

Nathaniel turns around in his seat, looking up at the newcomer.

Pretty. That’s the first thought that enters the redhead’s mind. Tall, lanky, messy black hair, and a very pretty face. Heart-shaped, button nose, glossy pink lips, plus mascara and eyeliner emphasizing long lashes around a pair of gorgeous emerald eyes.

The boy stands awkwardly, a hand shoved in the pocket of his ripped black skinny jeans. He’s wearing black combat boots with a ton of buckles, at least two different studded belts, a band t-shirt Nathaniel recognizes as Blink-182, and a denim jacket. The jacket is covered in various different patches and pins, including some rainbow pins and written graffiti over the blank spaces of the material.

The punk boy takes some bobby pins that decorate the collar of the jacket, extending them with a small smile. His voice is quiet and kind, as he says, “Here. For your skullcap.”

“Th…thanks…” Nathaniel says dazedly, reaching out and fumbling to grab the clips as their hands brush, eyes glued onto those pretty greens. The other’s smile is small, but it lights up his eyes, like sunlight dappling a tree’s leaves.

“It’s no problem,” the other boy shrugs, looking sheepish, tanned cheeks going pink. He gives a little peace sign and adds, “Hope this helps. Happy Passover.”

“You too,” the redhead responds automatically, too enraptured with watching the punk boy turn and leave to realize what he’d even said. He feels exceedingly warm and tingly, especially where the other’s hands met his to give him the clips, his heart beating like a war drum in his chest.

Who _was_ that boy? What’s his name? What grade was he in? What Homeroom does he have? Why hasn’t Nathaniel ever seen him before today…? He looks so distinct, in the way he dresses and how pretty he is, Nathaniel’s fairly sure he would remember crossing paths before now…

“Uh, Nath…?” he hears Alix say distantly, as if his head is dunked under water. And then a familiar hand waves in front of his fact. “Earth to Nath? Yoohoo! Snap out of it, you disaster. You still need to put your kippah back on.”

“Alix,” the redhead states, slowly turning to look at her, “I’m _so_ bi.”

His best friend snorts, shaking her head and smirking. “Yeah, I know. Pretty obviously, with the way you just gave that guy full gaga eyes.”

Nathaniel feels his entire face burn. “H-He was so _nice_ , Al. He even told me happy Passover! And—and he was just so _cool…_!”

“You can fanboy after you put your cap back on, you bi disaster,” she says calmly, still smirking all the while.

“ _Al_ ,” he whines back at her, trying not to pout, but turning back around in his seat to grab his kippah and do as she suggests. It doesn’t take him long to place it back on the crown of his head, carefully using the bobby pins to fasten it in place. It might look awkward and ugly and obvious he’s pinned it down, compared to his cap’s usual hidden clips, but it’ll do. Desperate times, and all.

After he’s done, he turns back to his best friend and says, “I have no idea if I’ll see him around again, but I’m going to figure out how to find him and thank him.”

“Might want to ask Juleka how to talk to him,” Alix offers, pointing over to their friends’ table with her empty Mt. Dew can. “He seemed like a punk rocker, and her brother’s one. He might know how you should go about wooing this new boy.”

The redhead sputters, his face no doubt the color of his hair. “ _Alix_.”

“What? You got an insta-crush on him,” she shrugs, with a knowing smirk. “Might as well.”

“I hate you,” he grumbles and huffs, with no heat behind it. But he already knows how accurate her statement is. Troubles of knowing Alix since they were toddlers is she knows him too well, by now, which gives her perfect ammo to call him out.

After all, he falls for people fast and hard. And he already wants to know everything about this kind, punk stranger. Besides, he’s a fan of punk pop, and stuff. Maybe he can find some common ground when he meets the other again…

Nathaniel smiles to himself, sighing dreamily. He might be a bi disaster, and he might fall in love too easily… But he thinks he shouldn’t be ashamed for falling for someone who’s kind and went out of their way to help him when he needed it…

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Marc’s denim jacket: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/149322543875379764/
> 
> Punk jackets are called ‘battle jackets’, and they’re all different because it’s based on the punk’s customization.
> 
> Punk is all about anti-establishment, anti-police, standing up for what’s right and the marginalized. True punks don’t spread hate like racism or white supremacy, and they are staunchly anti-Nazi.
> 
> I’m a gentile, so if I get any details wrong about the Jewish faith and Passover, please tell me in the comments.
> 
> And finally, shoutout to the NathMarc Multiverse server for their constant support! https://discord.gg/GzuUxdv2Z5


End file.
